Category Archives: Political Correctness

Legendary actor and film director Clint Eastwood told a crowd at the Cannes Film Festival Sunday that political correctness is killing the entertainment industry.

The Western film icon, who was visiting the festival in southern France for a 25th anniversary screening of his 1992 film Unforgiven, said Americas obsession with political correctness started around the time of the release of his 1971 movie Dirty Harry,according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It was far-out at that time, so I brought it to [director] Don [Siegel], and he liked it, Mr. Eastwood said. A lot of people thought it was politically incorrect. That was at the beginning of the era that were in now with political correctness. We are killing ourselves, weve lost our sense of humor. But I thought it was interesting and it was daring.

Mr. Eastwood made the comments during a master class conducted by Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan. Mr. Eastwood, who went to Cannes to introduce the screening of Unforgiven, said he initially hadnt planned to sit through the entire movie.

I thought Id just sit through the first five minutes, but after a while I thought, This isnt so bad, so maybe Ill stay for it, he said, THR reported. I enjoyed it. I saw a lot of things that Id forgotten.

Mr. Eastwoods current movie project is The 15:17 to Paris, the Warner Bros. Pictures retelling of the 2015 heroics of three Americans who stopped an Islamic State attack on a train from Brussels to Paris.

Mr. Eastwood, who describes himself as libertarian, has been outspoken against political correctness in the past.

He told Esquire magazine in August that then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had been so successful in his campaign because everybodys getting tired of political correctness, kissing up.

Thats the kiss-ass generation were in right now. Were really in a p- generation. Everybodys walking on eggshells, the director said at the time.

View original post here:

Clint Eastwood: 'We are killing ourselves' with political correctness - Washington Times

On Monday night, a bombing at a music venue in Manchester, England killed 22 people and injured dozens more.

In the wake of such tragedy, Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree took to Facebook to offer his condolences to the victims and their families, express solidarity with British police, and share sober reflections informed by a career in public safety. Just kidding. Murphree instead posted a fearful screed warning against lax border security and a religious ideology that says you must convert or die.Worked into a froth, he concludes:

You better wake up America. While you are distracted by the media and the crying of the left, Islamic Jihadist are among us and want to kill you. What will it take? This happening at a concert in Dallas or a school in Denton County? If we dont do something quick this country will die of political correctness and the fear that someones feelings may be hurt. It may very well be to late for Europe.

Murphree has previously made waves on social media for condoning violence againtransgender people in public restrooms. A chest-thumping Facebook missive from November, addressed to ISIS and al Qaeda, announces that Murphree came into this world screaming and covered in someone elses blood, and has no problem going out the same way. In that post, Murphree, who stresses that he is not afraid as he paints a picture of masked jihadistsloading people into trucks and executing them one by one, notes that he will squeeze the life from you with my bare hands to stop you.

Whether this tough guy routine has the effect of making North Texans feel safer seems to be a matter of opinion, judging from the comments on Murphrees posts. Murphree is certainly entitled to his, although the thought of any law enforcement official dwelling so often on images of blood and carnage, wrought by himself or others, could give cooler heads pause.

Like another elected official that comes to mind, Murphree may, at the very least, benefit fromspendingless time on social media.

Read more from the original source:

Denton County Sheriff: Political Correctness Will Kill Us All - D Magazine

By Cortney O'Brien, Townhall.com

Conservative Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood has no problem voicing his political opinions, something we learned from his infamous empty chair skit during the 2012 Republican National Convention.

He is still boldly speaking his mind as of this week, this time at Frances prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

It was far-out at that time, so I brought it to [director] Don [Siegel], and he liked it, Eastwood recalled Sunday during a visit to the Cannes Film Festival. A lot of people thought it was politically incorrect. That was at the beginning of the era that were in now with political correctness. We are killing ourselves, weve lost our sense of humor. But I thought it was interesting and it was daring.

If critics thought "Dirty Harry" was politically incorrect, I'd love to know what they thought of his 2008 film "Gran Torino."

Continue reading here:

Clint Eastwood Takes on Political Correctness ... - Fox Nation - Fox News

The under-appreciated British analyst George Igler once said to me, "This accusation of racism is potentially the most powerful weapon known to man."

Such is the power of the "accusation of racism" that yet another Muslim terrorist attack -- this one using nails and ball bearings on kids as young as 8 -- is not enough to bring British leaders to sufficient moral courage and mental clarity to even utter the word, "Muslim."

British leadersremain more afraid of the "racist" label than of terrorism and carnage.

Under the spell of political correctness, the only socially acceptable responses to mass murder inspired by Islam's holy book are vague and helpless condolences, warnings against "Islamophobia," candlelight vigils and unity marches with big signs reading "Refugees Welcome!"

Only a "Nazi" would disagree.

Clearly, Britain's Muslim population has a problem that needs to be addressed.

If British leaders had the courage to do so.

Originally posted here:

Manchester: Britain Remains Paralyzed by Political Correctness - CBN News

Email a copy of "Secretary of State Rex Tillersons Political Correctness" to a friend

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Photo: Exxon Mobil via Wikimedia Commons.

While the election of President Donald Trump represented a setback to political correctness, Secretary of State Rex Tillersons interview on the May 14 episode ofNBCs Meet the Press reflected his departments ongoing political correctness regardingUS-Israel and US-Arab relations, the Palestinian issue and the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

In the interview, Tillersonembraced the State Departments zero-sum game philosophy. Heassumed that enhanced US-Israel relations would undermine US-Arab relations even thoughUS-Israel geo-strategic cooperation andUS-Arab security cooperation have bothsurged dramatically in recent years, while Israel has also engaged in unprecedented counter-terrorism efforts in concert withSaudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Jordan and Egypt. All this, despite the lack of progress on the Palestinian front.

Yet, Tillerson also seemed to subscribe to Foggy Bottoms view that the Palestinian issue is a core cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict and Middle Eastern turbulence, as well as a top priority for Arab policy-makers.Contrary to this conventional Western wisdom, the pro-US Arab regimes distinguish between challenges which are primary (e.g., the Iranian threat) and secondary/tertiary (e.g., the Palestinian issue). Therefore, when the machetes of Irans ayatollahs and other Islamic terrorists are at their throats, the pro-US Arab regimes recognize that Israel is the only reliable life insurance agent in the Middle East, regardless of the Palestinian issue.

May 23, 2017 8:39 pm

Indeed, again contrary to the State Departments conventional wisdom, Arab leaders since 1948 have exhibitedintense pro-Palestinian talk, but anti-Palestinian, or at the least indifferent, walk.

No Arab-Israeli war hasever been ignited by the Palestinian issue, as highlighted by the conclusion of the 1948-49 war, at which point Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria occupied Gaza, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and Al-Hama but never contemplated transferring these areas toPalestinian control and, in fact, strictly constrainedPalestinian activities.

In addition, none of the recent Arab tectonic eruptions from Tunisia, in Northeastern Africa, through Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain in the Persian Gulf are related, directly or indirectly, to the Palestinian issue.

Tillersonalso seemed to send a message thatprocrastination isUS policy onthe embassy relocation issue,which Arabs may interpret as American retreat in the face of pressure and threats, thus eroding the US posture of deterrence and emboldening anti-American Islamic terrorism. Additionally, Tillerson insinuated that moving the embassy to western Jerusalem which is within the boundaries of pre-1967 Israel could undermine the peaceprocess, thus providing a tailwind tothe 69-year old State Department view (which contradicts the position of the American people and their representatives in the House and Senate) that there is no legitimacy to Israels sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem. This positionradicalizes the Arabs as it forces them to outdo the US position andtake an even more maximalist approach.

Furthermore, any fear that moving the embassy would result in anti-US Islamic terrorism fails to recognize that such terror hasbeen totally divorced from the Palestinian issue and Israel: the 1983 bombings of the US Embassy in Lebanon and of US Marine barracks in Beirut(368 killed in the two attacks) occurred at a time when the US was badgering Israel over its hot pursuit of the PLO. Meanwhile, the1998 car-bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (224 persons murdered) and the October 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole while it was refueling in a Yemen harbor (17 murdered), occurred asPresident Clinton refrained from relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem, as prescribed by 1995 legislation, and while Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians a full Israeli withdrawal, including from Jerusalems Temple Mount.

In contrast to recent Arab rhetoricand State Department political correctness, the Arab countries have never considered Jerusalem to be theircapital, main cultural center or top holy city status reserved for Mecca and Medina. Indeed, Jerusalem was largely neglected during Islamic rule, serving at most as a political platform in their conflicts with the infidel.

Reality-based political incorrectness motivated Israel and Egypt in 1977, in defiance of then-US President Jimmy Carter, to negotiate and conclude a bilateral peace accord with no Palestinian, regional or international involvement. It also motivated Israel and Jordan in 1994 to conclude another bilateral peace accord. The US played a critical deal-closing role in both cases, but only after the two parties reached the framework of bilateral agreement.

Moreover, a litany of peace initiatives launched by the US failed when attempting to subordinate reality to the USs own benevolent political correctness, which stipulated a multilateral peace process, focusing on the Palestinian issue.

Will President Trump and Secretary Tillerson embrace Middle East reality and reject political correctness by avoiding procrastination on the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, thus sparing the US further erosion of its posture of deterrence in the Middle East and beyond?

A version of this article originally appeared in Israel Hayom.

Go here to read the rest:

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's Political Correctness - Algemeiner

KOIN.com

Clint Eastwood at Cannes decries political correctness KOIN.com CANNES, France (AP) Clint Eastwood regaled the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday with stories from his long career, predicted a possible return to acting and decried the rise of political correctness. Eastwood was honored with several screenings of his ... Eastwood on Political Correctness: 'We're Killing Ourselves'LifeZette Clint Eastwood Decries P.C. Culture in Cannes: 'We've Lost Out Sense of Humor"Hollywood Reporter Clint Eastwood: We're killing ourselves with political correctnessStarts at 60 Daily Mail all 28 news articles »

Here is the original post:

Clint Eastwood at Cannes decries political correctness - KOIN.com

At the beginning of Vice President Mike Pences address, a group of students walked out of the graduation ceremony in protest. | Getty

By Bianca Padr Ocasio

05/21/2017 02:30 PM EDT

Updated 05/21/2017 05:08 PM EDT

Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday that attacks on freedom of speech on college campuses, including administration-sanctioned political correctness, are on the rise and should not be met with silence.

This university is a vanguard of freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas at a time, sadly, when free speech and civility are waning on campuses across America, he told the graduating class during a commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame.

Story Continued Below

While this institution has maintained an atmosphere of civility and open debate, far too many campuses across America have become characterized by speech codes, safe zones, tone policing, administration-sanctioned political correctness all of which amounts to nothing less than suppression of the freedom of speech, the vice president added.

The former Indiana governor encouraged the graduates to speak up against the increasing intolerance toward opposing views, which he said are destructive of learning.

As you, our youth, are the future, and universities, the bellwether of thought and culture, I would submit that the increasing intolerance and suppression of the time-honored tradition of free expression on our campuses jeopardizes the liberties of every American, Pence said.

This should not and must not be met with silence.

The vice president might have left thinking he had some confirmation for his views on tolerance.

At the beginning of Pences address, a group of students walked out of the graduation ceremony to protest his presence. The South Bend Tribune said about 150 students and family members took part in the walkout.

GLAAD, a non-profit that advocates for LGBTQ rights, streamed remarks from some of the students who left the ceremony.

"Graduates around the country deserve commencement speakers who inspire them to propel our diverse country forward, and these Notre Dame students bravely told the world that Vice President Pences anti-LGBTQ actions fly in the face of unity and inspiration," GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.

"These Notre Dame graduates should be applauded for demonstrating true leadership and standing up for freedom and acceptance," she said.

For his part, Pence also commended the new graduates and their approach to freedom of speech.

"Notre Dame is a campus where deliberation is welcomed," Pence said, "where opposing views are debated and where every speaker, no matter how unpopular or unfashionable, is afforded the right to air their views in the open for all to hear."

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning in your inbox.

See the original post:

At Notre Dame, Pence attacks campus 'political correctness' - Politico

Photo Credit: U.S. Department of State via Flickr

While the election of President Trump represented a setback to political-correctness, Secretary of State Rex Tillersons interview on May 14, 2017 NBCs Meet the Press reflected the State Departments political correctness on US-Israel and US-Arab relations, the Palestinian issue and the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem.

The interview may have sent a message of US procrastination on the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, the ancient core of Judaism and Jewish history, which inspired the early US Pilgrims and Founding Fathers. Procrastination would be interpreted by Arabs as US retreat in the face of Arab pressure and threats, eroding the US posture of deterrence, triggering further pressure and emboldening anti-US Islamic terrorism.

Secretary Tillerson embraced the State Departments zero-sum-game philosophy. He assumes that enhanced US-Israel relations undermine US-Arab relations. However, since 1948, and especially in recent years, US-Israel geo-strategic cooperation has surged dramatically, simultaneously with expanded US-Arab security cooperation, and unprecedented counter-terrorism cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Jordan and Egypt, despite the lack of progress on the Palestinian front.

Contrary to conventional Western wisdom, the pro-US Arab regimes distinguish between challenges which are primary (e.g., the Iranian threat) and secondary/tertiary (e.g., the Palestinian issue). Therefore, when the machetes of Irans Ayatollahs and other Islamic terrorists are at their throats, the pro-US Arab regimes recognize that Israel is the only reliable life insurance agent in the Middle East, regardless of the Palestinian issue.

Secretary Tillerson insinuated that the relocation of the US Embassy to western Jerusalem which is within the boundaries of pre-1967 Israel could undermine the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Thus, he provided tailwind to the 69-year-old Department of States view which contradicts the position of the American people and their representatives in the House and Senate that there is no legitimacy to Israels sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem. It radicalizes the Arabs, forcing them to outflank the US from the maximalist side, deluding themselves that they have nothing to lose and time is, supposedly, on their side.

Tillerson also seems to subscribe to Foggy Bottoms view that the Palestinian issue is a core cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict and Middle East turbulence, and a top priority for Arab policy-makers. Therefore, he assumes that the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem could fuel anti-US terrorism and undermine US cooperation with pro-US Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, against the mutual threats of the Ayatollahs of Iran and additional sources of Islamic terrorism.

However, anti-US Islamic terrorism has been totally divorced from the Palestinian issue and Israel, as demonstrated by the blowing up of the US Embassy and Marines barracks in Lebanon in 1983 (300 US Marines murdered), at a time when the US brutalized Israel over its hot pursuit of the PLO. In fact, the 1998 suicide car-bombing of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (300 persons murdered), and the October 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen (17 US Marines murdered), occurred while President Clinton refrained from relocating the US Embassy to Jerusalem, as prescribed by 1995 legislation, and while Israeli Prime Minister Barak offered the Palestinians a full Israeli withdrawal, including Jerusalems Temple Mount.

Moreover, since 1948, contrary to the Department of States conventional wisdom, Middle East reality has documented top-heavy pro-Palestinian Arab talk, but anti-Palestinian, or indifferent, Arab walk.

For example, no Arab-Israeli war was ever ignited by the Palestinian issue. It was highlighted by the conclusion of the 1948-49 war, when Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria occupied Gaza, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and Al-Hama, but never contemplated transferring these areas to the Palestinians, strictly constraining Palestinian activities.

In addition, none of the recent Arab tectonic eruptions from Tunisia, in Northeastern Africa, through Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain in the Persian Gulf are related, directly or indirectly, to the Palestinian issue or Israel.

The assumption that the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem would undermine US-Saudi cooperation in the face of the Ayatollahs and additional sources of Islamic terrorism, ignores the Saudi and all other Arab regimes view of the Palestinians.

They have always considered the Palestinians a role model of intra-Arab treachery and subversion. Hence, the severe constraints of Palestinian maneuverability in their countries, and the meager financial assistance to the Palestinians (compared with the US foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority), and the absence of military support. For instance, no Arab regime ever got involved in any of the Palestinian-Israeli wars in Lebanon, Judea and Samaria and Gaza.

In contrast to the recent Arab talk and State Department political correctness, the Arab countries have never considered Jerusalem to be their top holy city status reserved for Mecca and Medina capital or cultural center. Jerusalem was largely neglected during Islamic rule, serving at most as a political platform in their conflicts with the infidel.

Reality-based political incorrectness motivated Israel and Egypt, in 1977, in defiance of US President Carter, to negotiate and conclude a bilateral peace accord with no Palestinian, regional or international involvement. It also motivated Israel and Jordan, in 1994, to conclude another bilateral peace accord. The US played a critical deal-closing role in both cases, but only after the two parties reached the framework of bilateral agreement.

Moreover, a litany of peace initiatives, launched by the US, failed when attempting to subordinate reality to the US own benevolent political correctness, which stipulated a multilateral peace process, focusing on the Palestinian issue.

Will President Trump and Secretary Tillerson embrace Middle East reality, and reject political correctness, by avoiding procrastination on the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, thus sparing the US further erosion of its posture of deterrence in the Middle East and beyond?

See the original post here:

Secretary Tillerson's Political-CorrectnessThe Jewish Press | Yoram ... - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

Ad will collapse in seconds CLOSE May 18, 2017 05/18/2017 3:32 pm By Ed Kilgore Share Stewarts embrace of the Lost Cause not proving to be an electoral winner.

With all the recent controversy about Confederate memorials being pulled down, you might think Republican gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart was being shrewd by exploiting old-white-vote resentment over the issue in Civil Wardrenched Virginia. But at present, it doesnt seem to be doing much for the exurban local-government figure whos tried to make himself into a Trump-like vehicle for protests against a GOP Establishment that is fully behind his opponent Ed Gillespie. According to a new Washington Post/George Mason poll, Stewart is trailing Gillespie by 20 points (3818, with 15 percent going to State Senator Frank Wagner), and does not have a lot of money to catch up before the June 13 primary.

Virginia does not require receiving a majority of the primary vote to win a nomination, so Stewart cant count on a second chance if Gillespie beats him but falls short of 50 percent.

He must be given credit for persistence, though. Stewart has pursued his argument that taking down Confederate memorials reflects the kind of p.c. culture that Trump opposes up to and beyond the gates of political prudence, as Politico noted:

When he hasnt lamented the shoddy treatment of Southern heritage, he has compared the politicians who support removing statues to ISIS, the murderous Islamic extremists who have destroyed historic artifacts and religious sites throughout Syria. Or suggested that George Soros needs to be tried for sedition, stripped of his citizenship or deported. Or labeling his main opponent a cuckservative, the disdainful epithet of choice among the alt-right.

His particular focus on the City of Charlottesvilles decision to remove a Lee memorial has brought Stewart into uncomfortably close proximity to white supremacists, as became apparent when Richard Spencer led a torchlit march to the memorial last weekend.

Virtually every political figure in Virginia, including Gillespie and Wagner, condemned the marchers except for Stewart, who remained silent. He then announced a Facebook Live event for Monday during which, after speculation that he might be dropping out of the race, he instead attacked his enemies and rivals again:

That is certainly something Stewart is ever-ready to do.

But his Trump-Heavy campaign does not seem to be working at all. The WaPo/GMU poll shows him only winning 15 percent of the likely GOP primary voters who strongly approve of Trumps job performance. It isnt clear how many Republicans are aware that Stewart was fired as the moguls Virginia campaign manager last October after he held an unauthorized rally at the RNC headquarters, in Washington, based on fears the national party might abandon its presidential nominee. They may have noticed, though, that Stewarts campaign isnt exactly getting any help from the White House or its political operatives.

Assuming Gillespie wins on June 13, Stewarts campaign may be remembered as showing the limits of race-tinged attacks on political correctness, even among a very conservative electorate. Racist dog whistles are one thing. Howling at the moon while defending the Lost Cause is another thing altogether.

The Best, Worst, and Nest-iest Hats From Pippa Middletons Wedding

Sasheer Zamata Is Leaving Saturday Night Live

Kevin Bacon Didnt Have Enough Coke to Pick Up Women at Studio 54

The Emancipation of the MILF

Matthew Perry Refused to Do One Friends Story Line Because He Hated It So Much

Stephen Colbert: Trump Is a Redolent Turd Who Will Probably Quit

Why Twin Peaks Is Not the Series Weve Convinced Ourselves It Was

Pippa Middletons Wedding Reception Guests Had Their Own Passwords, and Other Details

When You Love Your Friend But Hate Her Social-Media Presence

GOP Prepares to Make Case That Poor People Must Sacrifice So Rich Can Get Tax Cuts

Most Popular Video On Daily Intelligencer

Brace Belden, back from Syria and readjusting to life in the Bay Area, has a new Twitter handle.

The criminal liability of presidents is a difficult and unsettled area of constitutional law.

Compared to his campaigning, it was a blatant flip-flop. Will his supporters who bashed Hillary Clinton for being soft on terrorism forgive him?

The controversial Milwaukee sheriff, who says he was tapped to join the Department of Homeland Security, denies the CNN report.

The members of WeStaNDFor werent having it.

In Saudi Arabia, Trump describes a battle of good versus evil, and calls on his audience to take the lead in stamping out terrorism.

It was almost identical to the North Korean missile fired off in February in the countrys first weapons test during the Trump administration.

On Friday, Trumps nominee for deputy Treasury secretary suddenly realized that he needs more family time than a White House job would allow.

Iranians rejected a right-wing nationalist challenger and reaffirmed their desire for greater social freedom and international co-operation.

The Trump Organization promised not to make any new foreign deals while Donald Trump was president. Its friends in the UAE dont seem to buy that.

Trump spent most of last year demonizing the Saudis and their faith. And Riyadh already likes him better than Obama. Heres why.

Hes taken a real beating of late. But former FBI director James Comey will have his day in the Senate, and in the court of public opinion, very soon.

Signs are growing that House Republicans, including some very senior members, could be in trouble next year.

He doesnt realize the implications of what he was doing or what he was saying or how it could be interpreted.

Ninety percent of clinical cases have been found in New York and New Jersey.

After agreeing to continue Obamacare insurer subsidies to avoid a government shutdown, Trump may abandon them as he embarks on his overseas trip.

Some stories are upfront about the allegations, while others dont mention them until the last paragraph.

Also, a senior White House official has reportedly become a person of interest in the FBIs investigation.

Its time to start thinking more aggressively about protecting people on foot in cities.

This is a huge relief for those of us concerned that the Trump tax cuts might be tilted to the rich.

See the original post:

Failing GOP Candidate in Virginia Shows There Are Limits to Attacks on Political Correctness - New York Magazine

Exhibit Challenges the Madison Myth was the breathless headline. Im jaded but I looked, titillated by the possibility of some long-undiscovered link between our fourth president and the New England Royalists of 1814. Or maybe conciliatory letters between Madison and the Dey of Algiers before the latter capitulated to Commodore Decatur, much to the delight of shippers in the Mediterranean. Alas, it was not to be.

Instead, readers were treated to another fashionable excoriation of another Founding Father as a slaveholding hypocrite. The article, about a new exhibit at Madisons Montpelier plantation, recycles a tired old complaint: how could Madison, responsible as much as any man for our Constitution, a bulwark of human liberty and monument to freedom, own slaves?It is a question asked ad nauseam about all southern Founders: Washington, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison the list is long.

It is also as obtuse as calling a bunny rabbit cowardly for terrorizing the grass but running away when a hound approaches. Nevertheless it is thinking worth examining, not because of what it reveals about its objects, those eighteenth-century upper-class types who gave us both our Constitution and nation, but about those who ask the question.

Inherent is the assumption that humans are entirely one thing: good or evil, greedy or generous; they either love and extol freedom and liberty or they are slave drivers who would make Simon Legree recoil in horror. Real people who pay attention to the real world know this is piffle: most people have a bit of both in them and understand their contradictions. The Founders knew this; its one of the reasons they created the constitution they did.

Which directs us to the authors second erroneous idea: that the Constitution was designed to protect the institution (slavery) without ever using the term. This is of a piece with modern America can do no right historians like Edward Baptist, and it is just as ham-handedly wrong.Whether the Constitution which Madison had a large part in creating was pro-or anti-slavery is a question invented in the early 1830s by the likes of John C. Calhoun as they sought to manufacture protections for their cherished Peculiar Institution, rightly under growing attack. Now, as in 1834, the argument misses the point. The Constitution was designed and ratified not to protect slavery but to form a more perfect Union, as it says of itself. That is why it did not mention the term: the Founders priorities were elsewhere. And the Constitutions notorious ambiguity on this question was the price of its ratification without which the United States would not exist.

Which illustrates the problem faced by those who project our values into the past:the residents of previous centuries did not think quite as we do; their motives were different, their ethics not ours. They generally reflect our view of humanity, its ends and the proper methods of achieving them, but that does not mean we are the same. To illustrate, contrast the articles assumptions about Mr. Madisons character and ideas with those of New York City native and Constitutional delegate Gouveneur Morris, who decried the three-fifths compromise and refused to sign the document because of it. Before we declare the acerbic New Yorker victor in the good guy derby, we should note that he also loathed the idea of common folk voting, stating more than once that The evils we experience spring from an excess of democracy.

More disturbing is that these negative attitudes about Madison, his contemporaries, and the world they made are actively being jammed into the heads of students young enough to believe them without question. Given enough of this, a majority of citizens will come to see the Founders not as farsighted men who embraced sacrifice and compromise to give their country the oldest surviving constitutional government on earth, but as a greedy, self-interested cabal.They will think their country not a unique and powerful bastion of liberty where, despite shortcomings, human freedom tends to advance, but a nation created by hypocrites whose ill deeds outweigh their positive contributions; a nation founded on lies and crimes, whose sole purpose is to enrich the few at the expense of the many and whose greatest contribution to liberty would be to vanish.

When we arrive at that point, the Republic will be at deaths door. If it shrugs indifferently and enters, to where might we fly that our freedoms be protected? History holds an answer, but its not pleasant.

Morgan Liddick lives in Stuarts Draft.

Read the original post:

OPINION: Self-righteousness + political correctness = God help us - The Daily Progress